Survival of the Fittest
by Durai
Summary: Steve doesn't know exactly where he is, he only knows he has to prevent the world from turning into the Nether. But the men opposing him are powerful beyond measure... Will Steve succeed, or will he fall like everyone else? Rated T for some blood and some swearing.
1. Chapter 1 - Marooned

**Minecraft – Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 1 – Marooned

Steve slowly opened up his eyes, with the soft breeze of the sea going over his skin like silk. He didn't remember anything; where he came from, how he ended up on this beach… No, just his name. What he did know, however, was that he was alone. And he'd have to survive on his own.

He got on one knee first to see if his body still responded to his will. First he moved his fingers, then his arms and soon enough he was running around the beach, careful not to tread into the ice cold water anymore. Then he let his eyes scan the area.

All Steve could see before him were mountains as high as the eye could see. He gasped. 'Damn, it's going to be hard to get up there!' he said to himself. But he was going to risk it nonetheless.

He started jogging towards the mountains. Then he saw trees. 'Finally, materials to make a house with!' he said. Once he got close to the trees, however, he discovered a blood trail leading into it. Steve narrowed his silver-colored eyes. Something wasn't right here and he was going to find out this instant.

He walked slowly into the forest, always listening for anything that could ambush him. But nothing came, and that was what scared Steve the most. There should always be life in a forest, not this eerie silence.

When he continued down the trail, his nose detected a very distinctive smell. Sweet, yet sickeningly horrid. Steve recognized it as the smell of rotting flesh. And then he found all the forest's inhabitant animals, all their carcasses on a big pile in the middle of the open spot.

Steve looked around first, then he walked up to the pile of bodies. He prodded one of the dead animals, but he got no response. 'Are all of you really dead?' Steve said. 'Urruuuunnnnhhhhh…' he then heard.

He turned around swiftly and saw a human standing there. Or at least, what was left of the man. The clothing was ripped to shreds, the brains were sticking out of the smashed skull and the jaw was dislocated in three places. And it's skin was green and slimy.

'No way…' Steve said to himself. 'No, this can't be real! The Undead don't exist!' Then, the zombie charged at him. Steve was lucky that he knew how to fight well. He grabbed the zombie's arm, broke it in three places, threw the zombie into the ground and stomped on the head a couple of times until it was squashed.

'Well, that's over,' Steve said. But the arms of the zombie were still grabbing at his legs. Steve looked for something sharp. Then he found something that looked like a stone sword next to an arm dangling out of the pile of dead animals. Steve picked it up and before the zombie could stand up, he plunged it through the zombie's chest.

The zombie's body shivered a couple of times and then laid still. It was finally dead. Steve was panting heavily. Where did that thing come from? And why was that sword here? He decided to see who his dead rescuer was.

He started dragging animals off the pile until he saw the man. And he was still alive. 'The light… It's blinding!' the man said softly, almost whispering. He wasn't much older than Steve, but his skin was almost as white as snow.

Steve picked him up. 'Don't worry, pal. I'll carry you out of here,' he said. Then, with the man in his arms, he started running as fast as he could, out of the forest. He had seen enough for a day. And when he did get out of the forest, he was once again dwarfed by the enormous size of the mountains.

'They really are high…' Steve said. 'Yes, they are…' the man replied. 'Can you see the sun?' Steve looked above him, and he could see the sun indeed. It was going down quite fast, but he still saw enough to make out where he was going.

'Yeah, I can see the sun. What of it?' Steve asked. The man managed to point in its direction. 'Follow the sun and you'll reach my house. Bring me there… Get me back to full health and I will do whatever I can to help you.'

So Steve started running again. He ran, and ran, and ran for miles and miles until he saw a small but cozy house, just like the man said it would be. 'We're nearly there, man,' Steve said. The man smiled. 'Good… My name is Ender, by the way. Thanks for saving me back there.'

Steve reached the house and he tried to open the door, but it was stuck. It was also made out of metal. 'Why can't I open this damn door?' he said. When he looked behind him he saw zombies heading his way. It had become nighttime.

'Quickly, press the… button… to the left of the door!' Ender said. Steve put Ender down and pressed the button. The door opened. 'Quick, drag me inside!' Ender now almost yelled. Steve grabbed Ender by the arms and dragged him inside as fast he could. And the door automatically closed again.

'What the hell is going on here? This isn't Earth, is it?' Steve said. 'No, it isn't, indeed,' Ender said. 'This is the Overworld. Welcome to the Creation of Notch!'

**And that's where I'll be ending this chapter, folks. Hope you enjoyed this, please leave a review to let me know how good or bad it was and I hope you guys will be reading the next chapters, too **** Thanks for reading and make the best of your day! **


	2. Chapter 2 - The Disease

**Minecraft – Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 2 – The Disease

Steve sat down next to the hearth inside. He moved Ender's bed close to it and put him in. 'Now tell me, Ender, what's up with you?' he asked. Ender's eyes seemed distant. 'Well, I'm fine now thanks to your help. But you're going to have to finish me off soon enough, though,' he answered.

Steve frowned. 'What in blazes are you talking about?' he asked. Ender's eyes now narrowed. 'The Endermen… They infected me. One of them put his pearl inside my mouth and made me swallow it. Now I'm turning into one of them.' Steve nodded. And that's why they call you Ender?' Ender looked at him. 'Who does?'

Steve swallowed. Everyone in this land must be dead, he thought. 'Are there any people here?' he asked. Ender shrugged. 'Don't know. Might be some people further down the south, but I'm the only one living in the mountains for as far as I know.'

Steve nodded. 'Right. We should get some sleep, though. I'm going to try and get some food tomorrow.' Ender agreed and they both went to sleep.

The next day, Steve woke up first due to horrible sounds from outside. When he looked he saw zombies and skeletons burning in the sunlight. 'What the hell kind of a world is this?' Steve said. 'Notch's world,' he heard Ender say.

Steve turned around. 'Who the hell is Notch?' he asked. Ender laughed. 'I forgot that you've never been here before. Notch is the one who Created this world. He is the Maker. He even has a Temple, but we'll get back to that later.'

'Right,' Steve said. 'Well, I'm going to get some materials to build with. Your house is quite a mess.' But Ender shook his head. 'Don't stay in my house. Dig out a mountain and make a home in there. It's the safest thing you can do if I turn.'

And Steve went out. Everywhere he looked, there were more mountains around. He himself was at the base of the highest mountain around. He rubbed his hands together. 'Right, time to get to work!' he said.

Next to Ender's house was a little shack. Steve figured he could just take tools from there. When he entered, he immediately saw an iron pickaxe, an iron axe, an iron sword and an iron hoe. He also saw some armor, but it looked more blue. He decided to take all of it and put it to good use.

When he came out of the shack, he was wearing the armor with the iron axe in his hand. The armor was light, but harder than steel. 'This is going to be easier than I thought,' Steve said to himself.

He started walking in the direction of the forest in front of the house. 'Let's hope there's no surprises for me waiting in there this time,' Steve said to himself. The first thing he did was go inside the forest where he started chopping wood. Steve left with Ender's massive bag, so it was no problem stacking all that wood in it.

Then he decided to get some stone. He went out of the forest, to the mountainside. Then he remembered what Ender said about making a home in a cave. So Steve started freerunning up the trees, over their branches, and then he jumped towards the mountain and grabbed a ledge.

From there, he kept pulling himself up until he reached a small plateau. He decided that this was where he wanted his home to be. The crafting table in his bag would come in handy for this. Steve set it down on the ground, took some tools and used the saw to turn the wood into planks.

Then he grabbed his pickaxe and started hacking away at the mountainside. Lucky for him, the stone wasn't very tough, so he managed to dig a cave of ten by ten meters in no time. He decided it would be nice to have a wooden floor, at least. So he dug out the floor and replaced everything with the wooden planks. Lastly, the cave needed to be shut and get an entrance.

Steve went back outside, picked up the crafting table and put it inside. Then he used the stone around him to make a small entrance with just enough room for a door to be placed. He took some planks and turned them into a wooden door, which he then set into the cave opening. His home was complete, for now. But he still needed a way to get down the mountain to collect resources…

He went back outside onto the plateau and took a look around. Then he saw the plateau had an area where he could easily carve out stairs. And so he did. It took him a full hour to complete all the steps, but he finally had a place he could call his own.

But now it was getting dark once again. He went back to Ender's place. When he knocked on the door, it opened. The inside of the house was empty, but Steve saw a note lying on the table in the corner.

He picked it up and started reading it. It said: 'Steve, if you're reading this, then my transformation is complete. I've turned into an Enderman and I'm now roaming around the mountains. When it rains, it hurts like hell and I have no place to stay. I don't know if I will kill you on sight or recognize you, but be prepared at all times. I've left you my bed and my flint and steel. Take them and make your cave that much more comfortable. And thank you again for saving my life. Ender.'

Steve folded up the letter and put it in his pocket. He took the flint and steel and the bed and went back to his home. He went inside just in time, because night was falling again. And he knew what happened during the night. He went out of the house and quickly sprinted to his own.

Once there, he crawled under the sheets and closed his eyes. It was time to wait out the horrors below the plateau… and to face the horrors in his mind.

**That's it for chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed reading it, please leave a review and I'll see if you guys keep reading it **


	3. Chapter 3 - Fortifications and Memories

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 3 – Fortifications and memories

Steve woke up and the moment he did, he remembered things he didn't before. Why did he say "This isn't Earth, is it?"? Was it a place? A city? He started wondering where he came from. He knew he didn't originate from this world because he was already 24 years old.

Steve frowned while he got out of bed. How did he know he was 24 years old? And what- It was becoming too much for him. All the memories now started pouring back in. His house by the lake in America, his wife, even… All of it was coming back to him.

But then, he realised something. 'Should I go back to my own world? To Earth?' Steve said to himself. Then, a ghastly but deep voice next to him said: 'Only if you choose to.' Steve yelled out and got up to see what it was.

The thing standing in his cave was twice as tall as himself, completely black with purple eyes. 'What the hell are you?!' Steve yelled. The thing in front of him smiled, for as far as it was able to. 'I told you that there was a chance I'd recognize you.'

Steve's face suddenly had a smile on it. 'Ender!' he said. The Enderman, what Steve figured it was, nodded. 'Yeah, it's me. Hope you've been faring well here.' Steve could only smile. 'Wow, you've… changed!'

Ender grinned. 'Yeah, it's what the transformation does to you. But I haven't given up the will to live just yet, and maybe that's what's keeping me off the edge to insanity. Say, want me to help you with anything here? I'm much, much stronger than before, you know,' he said.

Steve looked around and scratched his head. 'Umm… Can you still mine?' he asked. Ender nodded. He walked up to the stone wall, slammed his hands right into the stone and pulled out a massive chunk of solid rock. He looked at Steve. 'Yeah, I can help,' he said.

Steve went to his chest and grabbed the stone pickaxe out. 'I was thinking of making some walls around the entrance, maybe some traps, too. Can you help?' he asked. Ender nodded. 'Aye, that I can. Just tell me what I have to do and I'll see it done.'

He followed Steve outside. Steve pointed at the entrance below. 'See the stairs down there? I want to widen the entrance and set up some arrow towers or an electrified trap, maybe. I also want to have a small arch just over the stairs. I'll leave you to the traps since you've been here longer. I'll worry about the building.'

Ender nodded. 'Alright, I'll get busy right away. I'll need some redstone, though. Have a place for a mine?' Steve pointed a little to the left. 'Yeah, just next to the stairs. I'm also going to make a little storehouse and a farm down there, so at least I can sustain myself. Let's get to work.'

Ender teleported down the stairs and started making his way into the mountain. Steve gathered some materials he put in his chest and went to the entrance. He looked at the path cutting into the mountain for a second, then he figured out what to do.

He always had a spare crafting table with him. He put it down right next to the stairs and started making fences that were over three meters high. Then he gathered together some cobblestone and created an arch just in front of the stairs.

He rubbed his chin. 'This needs a path…' he said to himself. He still had some gravel from digging out his home, so he dug out a narrow path towards the arch and filled it up with gravel. Then Steve hammered the walls into the ground, simply by stomping them inside.

He cleared his forehead of sweat. Then he heard a distinctive hissing behind him. Instinctively, he kicked out hard towards the source of the hissing. Then he heard a loud explosion and he was knocked over by its force.

He stood up and looked at the crater the Creeper left behind. 'Damn Creepers… Always sneaking up behind you and then fucking up what you just made!' Steve yelled out to no one in particular. He filled the hole up with dirt and went back to work.

A few hours later, he looked at the result. The arch stood firmly above the entrance and the walls were solid. A loud 'plop' could be heard when Ender reappeared next to Steve. 'That's some fancy craftsmanship you made there!' he said. 'Aye… It ain't my best piece of work, but at least it looks good,' Steve replied.

Ender grabbed his bag from his back and gave it to Steve. 'Here you go. I kept the Redstone, but I also found a lot of coal, iron and even gold. Sadly, I couldn't find any diamonds, though.' Steve nodded. 'I'll put this to good use, Ender. Thanks.'

Then, night started falling again. Ender waved Steve away. 'Now you go to bed. I've got some traps to set up here. I'll join you in the cave when I'm done.' Steve waved back and went inside the cave.

Ender rubbed his hands. 'Those stupid creatures will never know what's coming…' He arranged the redstone in the formation he needed and then put some serious voltage through it. 'Everything that comes through now will be electrified,' Ender said to himself. Then he teleported back into Steve's cave.

Steve was waiting for him there, with a new-made bed. 'I know you got a lot taller, so I made this bed four meters long, if that's okay with you?' he said. Ender nodded. 'Thanks a lot man, you don't know how much this means to me. My old house was destroyed anyway…'

'Your old house was destroyed?' Steve said, 'How?' Ender shook his head. 'Doesn't matter. I just took what was important and burned the house down. Nothing can find the contents or they will become immortal!'

Steve's eyes widened greatly. 'Wh- What are you talking about?' he asked. Ender looked at him with his deep purple eyes. 'If you want, I can show you. But promise me you won't kill me, because this is going to hurt like hell!' Steve nodded. 'Okay. Do it.'

**That's it for chapter 3! Hope you guys enjoyed the cliffhanger… You have no idea what's about to come :D Anyways, please be so kind as to rate this chapter and leave a review, it really helps. Good day, everyone :)**


	4. Chapter 4 - From the Depths

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 4 – From the Depths

White rays of light were all Steve could see. His entire body was shaking and his muscles were tensed permanently. He felt he got hotter, and hotter… And then, suddenly very cold. An image of bones, fire and lava came towards him. And together with that, a temple.

The temple was a building unlike anything Steve had ever seen before. It was a huge building, with wing-like structures coming out of the sides, braziers on every corner and a tower that literally touched the- Steve shook his head. 'What the- Where the fuck did the sky go?'

When he looked next to him, Ender stood there, too. 'Don't worry, this is just a memory of mine. I saw this a few years ago and this is the thing I wanted to show you.' The memory receded and Steve and Ender were back in Steve's cave-house.

'What. The hell. Was that?' Steve said. Ender looked him deep in the eyes. 'That was the Nether Temple, my friend. Inside it is an artifact that can make someone immortal.' Steve frowned. 'How do you know if it'll make someone immortal?'

Ender pointed at himself. 'Why do you think I didn't go crazy yet?' he said. Steve nodded. 'Ah… But that means you're going to outlast me. Doesn't it?' Ender shook his head. 'Not likely. Every time it rains, I hurt like hell. It's possible that I'll commit suicide because of the pain sooner or later.'

Steve put his hand on Ender's shoulder. 'Dude. Never even mention that anymore. I'll find a way to keep you safe from the rain. Okay?' Ender smiled. 'Alright. If you can come up with something, I'll let you get to the artifact, too. Who knows what you'll be capable of doing once you become immortal!'

Steve nodded. 'Aye… But I'm not so sure. Do I want to be immortal? And what if I want to go back to the world I used to live in? To Earth?' Ender sat down on his bed. 'We'll see if you ever want to go back. For now, let's just concentrate on our survival, shall we?' Steve nodded. 'Indeed. Let's.'

The next day, Steve woke up with an idea. He looked to the other bed, but Ender was gone already. 'Probably hunting, or something,' Steve said to himself. He went out the door and looked out on a spectacular view.

Before, he was just concentrating on making his house safe and comfortable to live in. But now that the dangers were gone, at least on home turf, he could finally take a step back and relax. And the sight before him was beautiful unlike anything he had ever seen before.

When he looked ahead towards the rising sun, the valley below was lit in beautiful rays of sunlight and the wilds were also starting to wake up. The snow on the mountain peaks in the distance reflected the light of the sun and so it seemed as if the mountain peaks were on fire.

'Damn…' Steve said to himself, 'That sure is one hell of a view…' Then he looked down, to the forest. It was teeming with wildlife. 'Time to get myself some meat!' Steve yelled loudly. All birds nearby flew up because of the sudden sound of Steve's loud voice.

Steve grinned and went down the stairs to the open spot in front of his house. However, he found something strange there. In one spot, the ground wasn't green with grass, but red with something he couldn't place.

Suddenly, Ender teleported next to Steve. 'What have I done…' he said. Steve put his hand on Ender's shoulder and gripped it firmly. 'Hold on a second, one thing at a time here. What do you mean, "What have I done?"'

Ender looked at Steve. 'I… I've been inside the Temple… You wouldn't imagine… THE HORRORS!' Ender started hitting himself in the head. Steve saw no other option than to knock Ender out. His fist hit with an almost deadly precision and made sure he wouldn't wake up for an hour or two.

'What the hell was he talking about?' Steve said to himself. Then, he felt a presence behind him. A chill went down his spine. He recognized this feeling as extremely dangerous. When he turned around, the last thing he saw was a black fist coming straight for his head…

Steve slowly woke up with a pounding head. 'Ugh… Where in blazes am I?' he asked no-one in particular. Then he sat up straight in a flash, only to realise he was in his own bed. 'What the-' When Steve looked next to him, Ender was also still peacefully sleeping in his bed. 'Probably just a bad dream…' Steve said to himself.

He stood up and walked to the windows to look outside. But somehow, he couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Where the mountains in the distance used to be, there was now a massive sinkhole, at least a kilometer in diameter.

'Where the hell did THAT come from?!' Steve yelled. Ender walked up next to him, apparently awake. 'Oh, no… It has already begun!' he said. Steve frowned whilst looking at his friend. 'What are you talking about, man?!' he said.

Ender grabbed both his shoulders firmly. 'The Cataclysm is happening. The end of the world as we know it, as you will. Oh, I should have been more careful…'

Ender started walking from one side of the room to the other repeatedly. 'Have you ever heard about The Tenet?' he asked. Before Steve could answer, he said: 'Oh wait, of course you haven't. How silly of me. Allow me to explain what The Tenet means.'

'The Tenet is a sacred rule, created by Notch himself to prevent mortals from reaching immortality. The relic I showed you in that Temple was the Blade of Souls. I know it sounds cliché, but it's simply named that way. Now, The Tenet is basically the safeguard of the relic. If you remove it from its pedestal, The Overworld, where we live, will literally be _replaced_ by The Nether. And believe me, we don't want that to happen!'

Steve nodded. 'So… Do you have the weapon with you?' Ender grinned. 'Here's where the fun part begins. I know a way to end the Cataclysm without returning the Blade. And that is to kill the Sentinel. A massive guardian in The Nether. I know it sounds like a bad idea, but let the Overworld be turned for now. The Sentinel will come here soon, as well, and we'll be able to take him out and save this world!'

This time, Steve asked a question. A question Ender couldn't answer immediately. 'What if we defeat the Sentinel, what then? Will the world revert back to normal if we do?' Ender stared at him. 'That's what I don't know 100% sure. The legend of The Tenets says it, so it's probably true,' he answered. Steve nodded again. 'Right. Time to go demon hunting!' he said. And as he said that, the Blade of Souls started shining brightly, as if it knew it was going to battle. As if it knew it was going to spill blood…

**That was it for chapter 4 :) Hope you liked the sudden dramatising stuff I put in this time, hehe… Anyway, please be so kind as to leave a review, it really helps. Don't have to be shy! ^^ Have a nice day, people!**


	5. Chapter 5 - The struggle begins

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 5 – The struggle begins

Steve and Ender were on the plateau in front of Steve's home, looking out on the massive chasm where the mountains once stood. 'So… how are we going to solve this?' Steve asked Ender. Ender didn't look him in the eyes this time. 'It's not going to end well for me, I can tell you that much,' he answered.

Steve frowned. 'Stop worrying about it. You're not going to die! You already survived a disease that's supposed to make you insane… What's the worst that could happen to you?' And just then, Ender teleported away because a fireball nearly hit him in the back of his head. When he teleported back, his skin wasn't black anymore. It was now more a grayish color. Steve realised Ender had just gone pale.

'Didn't see that coming, did you?' he said. Ender shook his head. 'I teleported away the moment I felt heat. I nearly died there. Never say things like "What's the worst thing that could happen?". It leads to bad karma.'

Steve shrugged. 'I don't believe in that crap anyway. But coming back to the matter at hand; how are we going to prevent the world from turning into a hell-hole?' Ender pointed at Steve's house. 'There is nothing we can do if we stay here. I'm afraid we're going to have to pack everything valuable and useful and then get the hell out of here. We need to go to the other side of the world to solve this.'

Steve face palmed. 'The other side of the- What the hell are you yammering on about? What could we possibly do from the other side of the bloody world? And how long would it even take to get there?'

Ender started counting on his fingers. 'Despite the fact that this world isn't as big as you might think, there's still plenty of obstacles in our way. Mountain ranges that haven't collapsed, monsters, oceans… You name it. But if you really do want to save this world, you must follow me and trust me blindly, alright?' he said. Steve thought about it for a few seconds and made his decision.

'Hate to say this, but… Alright. Let's get everything out of the house and leg it before this part collapses, too.' They both went inside to get all the valuable and useful things out of the chests and took as much as they could with them, especially materials.

Then there was a loud CRACK. The roof had started to split open. 'Steve? We have to hurry the fuck up, here!' Ender yelled. 'I freakin' know, give me a break, here!' Steve yelled back. 'I got enough stuff to bring with me as it is! Come here and fill your own pockets, too!'

Ender packed everything Steve gave him into his own bag. 'Alright Steve, let's go!' Ender yelled. They both started running. Ender didn't teleport though, otherwise Steve would never have been able to keep up with him.

Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, a loud rumbling began and the ground started to fall apart right under their feet. 'We need to move! NOW!' Ender roared above the deafening sound of the cataclysmic event.

Steve started sprinting as fast as he could. He could only think of one thing: Survive in a world falling apart. They both ran and ran until the hills were out of sight. They had now arrived on the plains. The two men both stood still for a moment to finally catch their breath.

'Sheesh… I don't think I've ever ran that far!' Ender said. Steve laughed loudly. 'Yeah, tell me 'bout it!' They both relaxed a bit, knowing they would be safe for the time being. Then, Steve stood up. 'Should we travel further or make camp here for now? I have enough things with me to make a fire, but shelter will be difficult,' he said.

Ender rubbed his chin for a second. Then he pointed at a small hill that seemed to have a small open spot in between. 'Let's set up our camp there, then. For now,' Ender said. They walked towards the hill, but they could hear strange pig sounds coming from there. It sounded more like a massive boar. And an angry one, too.

Steve got his sword ready. 'You know what made that sound?' he asked. Ender nodded. 'Aye. Zombie Pigman. Leaves you alone most of the time, but will come after you with the whole group if you attack one. They're immune to fire, too. That's what you get when you live in the Nether, I guess…'

Steve's eyes were wide open. 'Does that mean not just the world is about to get infected, but it's inhabitants too?' he asked. Ender nodded again. 'Yes, that's correct. But as I said, we can prevent things from happening if we go to the other side of the world. The place where the chasm is… The exact same coordinates, but around the world, will give us our salvation from this nightmare.'

Steve and Ender sat down. 'You'll really have to tell me what's so damn important about the other side of the bloody world, you know,' Steve said and Ender nodded. 'I know. I just don't know where to start, that's all,' Ender answered. Steve shook his head. 'How about the beginning? Start there.'

Ender rubbed his chin again. 'Well, I was told that the Nether isn't just some place deep underneath the earth. It's another dimension entirely. On the other side of the world, there is a shrine. If we place the Soul Blade on it, it will close the Nether Portals all around the world and all around the Nether, too.

Steve nodded. 'Sounds like a plan. But what if we fail to carry it out?' Later in his life, Steve could remember he never knew someone could look so intensely cold as Ender did. 'If we fail in our mission, then the world will be turned into the Nether. The two worlds will fuse and then wage war on the Ether. And we can't have that.'

Steve clenched his fist tightly. 'Then we better be damned sure that doesn't happen!' he said loudly. Ender started laughing. 'Ha! Couldn't agree with you more!'

The camping lasted through the night and eventually, both Steve and Ender fell asleep from pure exhaustion. But to them it was unknown that another entity had learned of their existence. And the entity wanted them dead…

**That was it for chapter 5! Hope you enjoyed, please, really please leave reviews as much as you can because it helps me a lot, and I hope you're having a nice day!**


	6. Chapter 6 - An Insight

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 6 – An Insight

A black shadow moved back and forth within the walls of his Temple. Something had awakened him and he wanted to know what. He sat down and started meditating, eyes closed. And behind his eyelids, he could see what happened here.

A young man, hurt, but still with a fiery spirit, took his Soul Blade away. This infuriated the shadow. He clenched his fists and stomped them into the ground, leaving two large craters and catapulting himself up into the air, landing with an agile somersault.

When he opened his eyes, they weren't any ordinary color. They were absent. Not there. For his face was overshadowed by a tattered hood. His body was covered, for he was wearing a long but comfortable old robe, also damaged overtime.

He looked at the Portal close to the Temple. The thief had made it as a precaution and he would find out exactly who he was and why he stole the Soul Blade.

The shadow jumped into the air and landed next to the portal with cat-like agility. He touched the portal's surface, noticing he could go through it with ease. He breathed in and out slowly. When he got to the other side, he found himself… in a room.

Steve wiped the sweat from his forehead. 'Phew… Making this shelter took me a while, but it's done, Ender,' he said. He turned around, only to see that Ender was nowhere to be found. 'Ender?!' Steve shouted. No answer. Steve shrugged. Ender would probably be back soon enough.

He went inside the shelter. What he did was dig out a little cave and then he put both beds, the furnace and the crafting table inside. Then he waited for Ender to return. And so he waited an hour. Two hours. Five hours, even. But still no sign of his friend.

Now Steve was getting impatient. 'Where the hell is he?!' he said to himself. Then, a PLOP and Ender was there again. But he looked as if he'd just seen a ghost. 'Ender, what took you so damn long, man?' Steve asked. Ender, whilst panting heavily, said: 'I… I saw something… It's coming our way… We should hoof it!'

Steve narrowed his eyes, grabbed his sword and went outside. And he saw what Ender meant. Ten beings stood around the shelter. All with a dark aura around them, standing there menacingly. 'You have stolen something from us,' one of them said. 'We'd like the Soul Blade back… NOW!' another yelled. Steve got himself ready for a fight. 'Why do you need the Soul Blade so badly?' he asked.

One of the beings stepped forward. This one looked slightly different from the others. This one was hooded, just like the rest, but he had heavy pauldrons on his shoulders and metal greaves on his feet. A real warrior, who looked every bit as deadly as his weapon; a long but slender blade, which looked like it was literally glowing with energy.

'We need the Soul Blade back so we can avoid a disaster, kid,' the being said. Steve was a little astounded, this one sounded more human than the others! 'What kind of disaster are you talking about?' he asked. The being pulled his hood back, only to reveal the face of a man in his thirties – and in top form, too.

'Look around you. The Nether is coming. Literally. It's consuming the Overworld, where we are now. The Soul Blade once belonged to Morthus… Death. He used Souls to strengthen himself beyond comprehension and he nearly destroyed the Overworld. We are here to get the Soul Blade back. If Morthus has escaped his prison already, then the Blade is the only thing that can kill him.'

Steve relaxed a bit. 'How do you know all of this? And what do I have to do with the situation?' he asked. 'Since you have the Soul Blade in your hands, we'd like it back – to seal it. If we do that, Morthus will never walk any dimension again.' Steve nodded. 'Alright. I understand.' And just as he wanted to hand the Soul Blade over to the being, a white flash passed by, blasting the other beings away.

The armored one looked back quickly, only to see a human with white, shining eyes. 'You! You were supposed to be dead! WE KILLED YOU A CENTURY AGO!' he roared. He tried to stab the man, but his attack was easily dodged, only to be greeted by a fist travelling at the speed of sound.

The armored one's head was ripped clean off and a small blood fountain erupted from the wound as he fell down. Now, the white-eyed man turned towards Steve. 'I'm sorry for this, my friend,' he said, 'But my name isn't really Ender. It's true that I'm an ender of lives, though… My real name… is Herobrine!'

**Hope you liked this plot twist! Heehee… Hope you liked this chapter, I got some more surprises in store for y'all later :) Please don't forget to review this chapter and as always, stay awesome, people! **


	7. Chapter 7 - Servants and Lords

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 7 – Servants and Lords

Herobrine wasn't grinning when he knocked Steve out cold. Steve helped him and the least He could do was bring him back to his shelter and spare him. But he was going back to his master. He picked Steve up and teleported to his shelter.

Herobrine put Steve on his bed. Steve breathed slowly and regularly. Herobrine breathed out loudly and nodded. His friend was okay. His only friend was ok. Then, he put the palms of his hands together and vanished out of Steve's shelter.

The Nether was making sounds as if it was alive. And amongst the chaos, there was one figure. A shadow, sitting as still as a tree sheltered from the wind. And for the first time in a century, he opened his red, shining eyes. His servant had arrived.

The Shadow stood up and looked behind him, where Herobrine was leaning against the Netherrack that supported the plateau above them. 'Did you recover the Soul Blade, Herobrine?' the Shadow asked. Herobrine grinned, pulling the Soul Blade out of his backpack. 'It's right here, my Lord,' he answered.

The Shadow stepped towards Herobrine and reached out for the blade, but before he knew it, his hand was nearly cut off. He hissed. If he would have been a millisecond slower, he would have lost at least a finger.

'What's this, Herobrine?!' the Shadow growled. 'Don't think you can betray me! You know damn well how powerful I am and you are not among the Transcendent Beings!' Herobrine, however, now laughed maniacally.

'Hahaha! You really think that you; a tiny, puny and insignificant little Transcendent can kill me?' Herobrine said. 'You can't even lay a scratch on me!' The Shadow now roared and shifted through Herobrine's body, trying to disintegrate him from the inside. However… Nothing happened.

The Shadow's eyes narrowed. 'What have you done to yourself?' he asked. Herobrine shrugged. 'I trained, is all. Maybe you should have, too. I learned to resist these futile and weak attacks. I trained especially to be able to kill Transcendent Beings, that includes you. I'm tired of being your lackey. It's time you become mine!'

With those words, Herobrine suddenly rushed forward and grabbed The Shadow by the throat. As hard as The Shadow struggled, he couldn't break free. 'What are you going to do with me now, hm?' he asked. 'Are you going to kill me? Or brainwash me, is that it?'

Herobrine shook his head. 'Oh, you poor little fool… You know, Death, I always thought I'd have need of your skills one day. And that time is now. The plan was to turn the Overworld into a new part of the Nether, and you're going to help me achieve this task!'

Death tapped on Herobrine's hand three times, signaling him that he was going to give up the struggle and accept his fate. As soon as Herobrine let go of Death's throat, Death started coughing, but at least he was alive.

'Well, then… What do you want me to do… my Lord?' he asked. Herobrine laughed again. 'Yes… This is exactly as it should be,' he said. 'The power of Death itself at my command, with myself as an even more powerful being! Together, we'll be unstoppable! We will let those damn Angelics up in the Aether taste true terror before I rip off their wings and execute them all personally!'

Steve slowly woke up. He shook his head slowly, but then he got up quickly, realizing what he just woke up from. And his entire body started shaking, remembering Ender's betrayal. His name was Herobrine and he betrayed his trust…

Steve looked up, and if anyone would have been standing in his shelter at that moment, that person could have seen a faint golden shine in Steve's eyes. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the floor, leaving a small hole. 'That bastard… I'm not going to forgive him for this!' he yelled.

Steve packed in everything he had and he started his journey once again. Only this time, he was looking for a permanent place to stay, close to other humanoids. He would build up his own little army, train them himself, and then he would put a stop to Herobrine's evil once and for all!

Steve found a village after a three days' travel. As soon as he took the first step into the village, he collapsed of pure exhaustion. The last thing he saw was humans with long heads and long noses rushing towards him with a worried expression on all their faces…

'I already told you, we can't let Death do as he pleases!' one of the Angelics said. Vindicator, the leader of the Angelic Army, hushed his colleague. 'I know how the situation is, Commander,' he said, 'but I just can't spare the men right now. We need rebuilding from his last attack and you know how powerful he is! If he were to attack now, we'd all be killed!'

Justicar, another Angelic leader, opposed Vindicator: 'Vin, you know that our combined power is enough to defeat Death. Why are you so fucking afraid? Don't tell me you've gotten rusty…' Vindicator shook his head. 'It's not that. Don't you feel it, brother? The Nether is taking over the Overworld. We have to purge it without killing innocents. And Death is making just that impossible!'

Then, a door happened and pure white light shone out of it. And out of that light, a bald, bearded man stepped forward. 'You won't have to fight this fight alone, my Sons,' he said. 'Your Creator has arrived!' Every Angelic kneeled down immediately. 'I had no doubt you would answer our prayers, my Lord,' Justicar said. Then, Vindicator yelled: 'All hail the Creator! All hail Notch! We're going to war!'

**That's it for chapter 7, people d-(^.^)-b Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please don't forget to leave a review, and I hope you're all ready for the upcoming battles, they're gonna be epic! Hehe… **


	8. Chapter 8 - War is coming

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 8 – War is coming

Steve opened his eyes, but didn't move a muscle. He already knew he was saved by Villagers, so it was only logical that he was now in either their hospital or in one of their homes. He did, however, move his head so he could scope out his surroundings.

As he suspected, he was in a small, but comfortable hospital. But he soon noticed all the beds were full, all with strangely misshapen Villagers. And there was one bed where the Villager wasn't even moving at all. Steve swallowed. He already knew the man was dead.

Then, movement in the corner of his right eye caught his attention. When he looked towards it, he saw a Villager in a white coat walking towards him. 'Ah, you're awake!' the doctor said. 'How are you feeling? Any deformities on your body, or having trouble breathing or seeing?' Steve shook his head. 'No, I'm fine. But what's happening to your people?' he said.

The doctor looked at the other patients with an extremely worried look on his face. 'Well… That's just the problem. I don't know what's wrong with them. We're still researching, but…' Steve now looked the doctor right in the eyes. 'When did they get sick like this? The doctor plucked his goatee for a few seconds and answered: 'I think it was about three, maybe four days ago.'

Steve's eyes grew. 'Oh, crap. The infection isn't only spreading toward the land!' he yelled out. He got out of bed and stood up. Strangely enough, his body felt stronger than ever. He did some stretching exercises and then took his clothes. They smelled like they had just been washed.

Whilst putting his clothes on, the doctor asked Steve: 'What do you mean, infection? Do you know more about this disease?' Steve cursed when he noticed his shirt was a little too tight. He had gotten more muscled during his sleep! Then he turned to the doctor. 'I think I might know what this is,' he said, 'but I'm not a hundred percent sure. But what I am sure about is that the Nether is infecting this world and it's not just stopping at the land itself!'

The doctor's eyes grew wide. 'The Nether?! You mean…' Steve nodded. 'Aye, I do. The Nether has basically come alive and it wants to consume this world. I can prepare this village in some way, but I'm afraid it will be a case of survival of the fittest after that.' The doctor shrugged. 'As long as we all live through it, I'm fine with it. You should speak to our leader, Ghorzo. He can probably help you with the defenses. Now if you'll excuse me, I must return to my duties,' he said.

Steve gave him a pat on the back, said his thanks and went outside. The sun already stood high in the sky and its scorching heat overcame Steve like a blazing fire. It was as if he was walking against a wall made of pure heat. But he shook off the feeling and started looking for the leader's building.

Steve looked around carefully, analyzing the entire town and remembering its layout. It could come in handy if he had to build defenses against whatever the Nether might have in store for him and the Villagers.

Steve tapped one of the bypassing villagers on the shoulder. 'Excuse me sir, but where's Ghorzo's residence located?' he asked. The man pointed toward the center of the village. 'See that high building there, made of stone? That's his little fortress. If you're lookin' for Ghorzo, then that's the place to look for him,' the Villager said. Steve thanked him and started walking towards the fort.

As he walked by the houses, he noticed he was being looked at from all directions. He didn't look back, however. A stranger in a strange town would draw unwanted attention. He at least knew that much. Then, he reached the fort's gate.

'I'm looking for Ghorzo!' Steve yelled. A gate guard's head became visible over the edge of the wall. 'And who are you, if I may ask?' he yelled back. Steve answered: 'My name is Steve. I really need to talk to Ghorzo, your people might be in danger!'

The gate guard hesitated for a second, but when he looked into Steve's eyes, he saw that he was being serious as can be. He nodded and yelled: 'Alright, give me a second and I'll raise the gate for you!' Steve nodded back and waited.

And indeed, only five seconds had he waited before the gate started rising up. However, just as Steve wanted to walk in, a big Villager came walking out. And he was holding an unsheathed sword, made of diamond.

'Who are you, then?' Ghorzo asked. Steve looked him right in the eyes and said: 'My name is Steve. I woke up in your hospital and noticed that your people are suffering of an infection. I don't know how to stop it, but I do know where it comes from and how to delay it, at least.'

Ghorzo lowered his sword, but didn't sheathe it yet. 'Really? And how do I know I can trust you?' Steve grinned. 'If you want gifts, I'm sure I can bring you something of value…' But Ghorzo shook his head. 'I don't need any gifts. I just need to make sure that not only me, but all of my people can trust you. Because if what you say is true, then you're the only one that can guide us through what's coming,' he said.

Steve nodded. 'I see… Well, if you look at it that way, then yes. You can trust me. What we should begin with is start building a solid wall around the town. Add a few houses if need be, but make it circular. We should have guard barracks in the north, south, east and west of the city. And lastly… We'll need an army.'

Ghorzo grinned and sheathed his sword. 'A man after my own heart. You give orders like it's natural to you. Alright, I place my trust with you. However, if I see that my trust is misplaced in your hands, I will personally make sure you'll regret fooling us!' Steve grinned as well. 'Trust me, I'm an honest man. You people didn't do anything wrong and thus don't deserve to be swallowed by the Nether. I'll guide you through the coming cataclysm. And you can be damn well sure we'll survive the ordeal!

**The Aether**

A thousand Angels were lined up in the Aether palace's courtyard. The Creator, Notch himself, was walking back and forth in front of them. 'What you are about to face soon, my children, are monsters unlike you've ever seen before!' he yelled. 'However, I created this world and I created the Nether as well. If they want to fight us, then so be it! But we will not be destroyed by my own Creation! So get ready, men and women of the Aether! The training you will go through the coming weeks will truly earn you the rank of Elite Transcendents!'

**The Nether**

Herobrine was laughing maniacally once more. The army Death had gathered for him had more than ten thousand Zombie Pigmen and another ten thousand Blazes in it. He narrowed his eyes. 'Time to make an entrance…' he said softly.

He jumped high into the sky and floated there. 'Listen up, all of you!' he roared. The ruckus below him was immediately gone. He grinned again. Once more, his domination and his power of persuasion were shown directly.

'I know you're all confused about your goal here… But let me tell you! Notch has gotten arrogant! He thinks that the Nether was a failure of his Creation and thus that it must be destroyed! But we're not going to let him destroy this big fireplace of a dimension, are we?!' The army answered with loud roaring and cheering, and the Blazes lit up even brighter than before.

Herobrine continued: 'Now, then… You are all here to learn something. How to be an army. A unity. And, of course, how to rip those damn Angels to shreds! I will teach all of this to you in only one week. Many of you will not survive this training. But I swear to the ones that do that this is going to be your moment of glory! The Nether is already infecting the Overworld, soon you will all be able to walk there freely! Now let's begin the training, already. There's no sense in wasting time when we're expecting fun in the near future!'

**Aaaand that was it once more, this time for chapter 8 already. Wow, I haven't uploaded in so long… Anyways, hope I got everyone riled up for the upcoming events… You won't want to miss them, trust me ;) Please tell me if you liked this chapter or not by placing a review, it's really a big help, folks! Well, have an awesome day!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Trickery twice over

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 9 – Trickery twice over

Steve sighed. These Villagers were hopeless. He showed them how to handle blades and axes countless times already, but they still didn't get it. 'Alright, that's enough for now!' he yelled. Everyone stopped training and half the Villagers dropped down on the ground out of pure exhaustion.

Ghorzo came standing next to Steve, sweating from the training himself. 'You didn't break a sweat yourself,' Ghorzo said. 'How do you manage this?' Steve shrugged. 'No clue, to be honest. When I woke up in the hospital, I was taller and more muscles than I remember myself being… I think something's strengthening me, somehow.'

Ghorzo furrowed his eyebrows. 'Something… So you don't know what it is, eh?' he asked. And Steve shook his head in confirmation. 'Indeed. I have no clue what gave me this strength and speed. But I'd sure like to find out!'

Then, Ghorzo's eyes lit up. 'Wait, I have an idea!' he said. Steve waited for him to explain and Ghorzo continued: 'My archivists know everything about artifacts and such. You told me you lost the Soul Blade, correct?' Steve nodded. 'Yeah, that bastard Herobrine took it.'

Ghorzo suddenly gasped for air. 'Herobrine? Are you freakin' kidding me?! HIM?! You saw HIM and lived to tell the damn tale?!' Steve narrowed his eyes. 'I knew there was something weird about that guy… Let's go find your archivists. And tell me more about what you know of Herobrine on the way, will you?'

An hour later, Steve, Ghorzo and Head Archivist Garr were sitting around a table. 'So… We don't exactly know what Herobrine is?' Steve asked. Garr shrugged. 'We don't know what he is, no. But we do know that he looks like a human with white shining eyes.'

'Not just that, it is said that his body houses immense powers. And he wants to use them to destroy the Aether, high above us,' Ghorzo added, and he pointed at the ceiling. When Steve looked up, he saw carvings that depicted a land in the sky, with beautiful temples and angels flying around.

'Why is the Aether so important?' Steve asked. Ghorzo laughed this time. 'It's not really the Aether itself that's important… It's what, or rather who, resides there.' Now, Steve figured out the plot. 'It's Notch, isn't it? Your Creator? This is basically a fight between Good and Evil!'

But Ghorzo coughed. 'It's not exactly Good and Evil here, Steve,' he said. 'It's more like a war we had nothing to do with in the first place. But now you come here, telling us you want to protect us from what is to come. So that can mean only one thing.' Garr nodded. 'Indeed. So someone has stolen the Soul Blade. And seeing that you don't have it, Steve, I'll presume Herobrine has it now?'

Steve covered his face with a hand and nodded. 'Yeah, he has it…' he said, but then he suddenly grinned and started laughing as if he had just heard a joke. Ghorzo frowned. 'Hey, this isn't funny, you fool! Do you know what it means if Herobrine has the Soul Blade?!' Steve still sniggered while he said: 'Well… No. Because actually, he doesn't have it!'

And then, out of nowhere, Steve pulled the Soul Blade out of his inventory. Garr's eyes became big. 'Wait, is that… That's the REAL Soul Blade? But then, what does Herobrine have?' And now Garr understood and started laughing as well. And Ghorzo could only sit and shake his head. 'Oh, the idiots…' he said to no-one in particular.

**The Nether**

Herobrine frowned. He felt something… Or rather, he didn't. Something was wrong. He searched for the Soul Blade, but couldn't feel it. He felt his blood running cold and a single, searing hot drop of sweat dripped down his forehead and evaporated immediately once it touched the Nether's hot air.

'What… What is this trickery?!' he shouted. He took the Soul Blade out of his inventory, but then he finally saw the deceit. The blade he had in his hands was just a simple diamond sword! Herobrine's body started shaking heavily as he felt the rage going through his body. Then, he tensed every muscle in his body and roared: 'STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVE!'

**The Aether**

Notch opened his eyes. He could feel the rage coming from within the Nether and he already knew that it was Herobrine. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his Elites. They were still following Vindicator's instructions and they were currently learning some seriously advanced combat moves.

Notch sighed. 'This isn't going to be a battle… It's going to be genocide,' he said to himself. 'I never thought I would have to destroy what I created once…' Then, Justicar stepped toward him. 'My Lord, the Elites are progressing extremely quick. We'll be ready for war in no time.'

Notch kept looking at the Elites and nodded absently. 'Aye… Just make sure they're ready to do what they have to do. If the Aether falls, the Nether will consume everything.' Justicar nodded. 'As you wish, My Lord.' And he walked toward Vindicator and started assisting in the Elites' training.

Notch kept looking at the training. And as he did, his eyes changed color from gold to bright platinum. His look changed from absent to determined. 'The Aether is going to war for the last time, Herobrine,' he whispered. 'This time I won't leave anything of you left!'

**Sorry for the late post people, but the last week of this holiday was… complicated, to say the least. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and of course, the surprise close to the end. Next chapter will have some revelations, promise d-(^.^)-b Thank you for reading and, as always, have an awesome day!**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Inferno from Below

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 10 – The Inferno from Below

**The Nether**

Herobrine walked back and forth, thinking on how Steve could possibly have stolen the Soul Blade from him. And then it hit him. He thought he had knocked Steve out when he killed the Sentinels, who came for the Blade in the first place, but Steve wasn't unconscious at all. He must have stolen the blade while he wasn't watching.

Herobrine stomped a small Netherrack hill, blasting it away with the pure force from his fist. 'That damn bastard… He took away one of my best assets!' Then he sensed Death landing behind him. 'What is it, Death?' Herobrine asked. Death bowed before him. 'My Lord, the army is done training. Can we start the invasion?'

Herobrine narrowed his eyes. 'Not before I see the army first. Follow me,' he answered. And so, he flew off, back to his army.

When he and Death came back, he was pleasantly surprised. Half the initial army was still alive. And they looked much stronger than before. The zombie pigmen had grown extremely muscled, but were also still very agile and fast. And the Blazes spewed out even more fire than before.

Herobrine grinned. 'Yes… This will do just fine!' he said. Then, he flew into the air and hovered in front of the army. 'Alright everyone, listen up!' he roared. Once again, the army was completely silent and every zombie pigman and Blaze looked his way.

Herobrine smiled and continued: 'You are all here because you survived Death's harsh training. I applaud you in doing so, for this was a test only Transcendents are supposed to be able to pull off!' He let the army roar of enthusiasm for a few second, then he hushed them so he could continue again.

'No doubt you're all itching for a fight… Well, a fight you will get! We will start the invasion NOW!' And whilst the army was roaring louder than ever, Herobrine pointed the palm of his hand upwards and sent a searing hot beam of energy up.

The army watched as the energy beam spewed out from Herobrine's palm and completely crushed the roof of the Nether. Then the ground beneath them started shaking and breaking out. Herobrine was creating a natural elevator for them. The invasion had begun!

**The Aether**

Vindicator nearly tripped when a loud rumble was heard from below the Aether. He cursed and flew up to see what it was, but he later wished he didn't. When he saw the gap that was made a few hundred kilometers to the north, his heart skipped a few beats. 'They're coming…' he said out of disbelief.

He turned around to warn Notch, but Notch was already floating beside him, watching the blast slowly dissipating. 'It's Him, Vindicator, you saw that well,' Notch said. 'He's going to kill us all… At least, that's what he thinks he'll do… Let's go prepare our army.' Vindicator nodded and followed his Creator to the Elites.

Instead of hovering above the army, Notch landed and looked everyone he could in the eyes. 'You have all been personally trained to protect the innocents. To protect the Aether. To protect what is rightfully ours! But will we allow that madman Herobrine to kill the innocents down below on the Overworld? NO!' Notch roared. 'What we have here is a land full of innocent people, about to fall prey to Herobrine! And he will kill them all mercilessly if he has to! But we're the ones that will be standing in his way! WE ARE THE AETHER!' And a loud roar of cheers welled up from the army.

Notch grinned. 'Time to give that son of a bitch what he deserves, this time,' he said to himself. 'He wants to destroy my Creation? Let him try!'

**The Overworld**

Garr soon found out that it was the Soul Blade that was strengthening Steve's mind and body. But they could also use it to power an army of Villagers! Knowing this, Steve gathered the Villagers and pointed the Soul Blade at them. Thin rays of energy spouted out and hit every Villager at the place of their hearts. Within seconds they had the same muscle build as Steve and they were all just as agile… And as determined!

Steve grinned. 'Hope that gave you lot a boost!' he yelled. But then he heard an explosion, one louder than he had ever heard. When he looked to the direction of the sound, he saw a massive energy beam shooting up into the sky, then slowly disappearing.

He narrowed his eyes. 'It's time, isn't it?' he said. Ghorzo nodded. 'Aye, it's time!' Then he turned towards the Villagers. 'This is the time indeed, my people! This is the time for you to show those Nether bastards who this land really belongs to! Our families have been living here for ages, and we're not going to let them drive us out of our own damn homes, are we?!'

Everywhere Steve looked, he could see Villagers nodding and shouting "Aye!" 'He can give quite the speeches,' he said. Garr smiled. 'Yes, indeed. And guess who taught him that!' Steve laughed, but that laugh soon turned to a grimace when a blade suddenly pierced his chest.

Steve coughed up blood, but managed to stay conscious. When he looked behind him, he was greeted by two white shining eyes. 'Time to take back what you stole from me!' Herobrine roared. He pulled the blade out of Steve's body and then slashed him across the back. Steve kneeled down whilst his shirt fell off. His back was bleeding heavily and he could feel the blood dripping down his spine.

'I thought there was something wrong with you the whole time, White-eyes!' Steve said. Then he suddenly catapulted himself into the air and kicked Herobrine away with all his might. The moment Herobrine crashed into the ground, Steve said: 'I thought you were stronger!'

Herobrine let out a deep and mighty roar and charged at Steve. Steve decided to stand and hold his ground. He was still holding the Soul Blade, so he was going to use it properly this time. And then their blades met.

Sparks flew off the edges of both blades as they made contact. But Herobrine wasn't done yet. He tried to kick Steve in the side to impair future movements. However, Steve caught his leg and broke it at the kneecap. Then he cut Herobrine's head off.

Herobrine's body dropped dead to the ground and Steve was panting heavily. Then he suddenly felt a chill running down his spine… and he was just in time to block Herobrine's incoming attack. 'Did you really think I'm that easily killed, mortal?!' Herobrine hissed. 'You might have some power now, but it pales in comparison to mine!'

With those words, Herobrine let out a massive energy blast which hit Steve head-on. He tried to block it with the Soul Blade…

**The Aether**

Whilst the fight between Herobrine and Steve was escalating down below, the Aether was facing even more trouble. Death himself was leading the attack on the Aether and he and his army had destroyed half the city already. His army was thinned out mightily, but the Elites were all but vanquished. Only ten of their brave souls were still standing.

Death stepped forward. 'If you wish to stay alive, I say you should turn around and fly away NOW!' he yelled. One of the Elites stepped forward. 'How about you go f*** yourself, mate?!' he yelled back. 'There's no way I'm letting The Creator down!'

He tried to attack Death, but suddenly felt strange. A pain within him kept getting worse and worse. The other Elites then had to watch as he slowly melted down and only his armor was left. 'Well, that makes nine of you now,' Death said. 'Anyone else?'

Then, his own heart skipped a beat while his entire army was suddenly disintegrated behind him. The horrible screams of the zombie pigmen were horrible to listen to, even for Death. He looked around and was just in time to catch Vindicator's blade with his hand. And then he had to parry Justicar's with his other one.

He looked at them one by one. 'You're a little late, aren't you?' Death said. 'What's the matter? Letting your army die before your very eyes? How pitiful. But you destroyed mine. You will both die for that!'

Death jumped in a tornado motion, throwing both Angelics around like they were nothing. Vindicator recovered first, but was punched in the face when Death sprinted towards him. Whilst punching, Death kicked out into the air, hitting Justicar, who was charging straight at him.

With this incredible show of pure martial arts, he had defeated the two Angelic Leaders as if it were nothing. Death was still in his fighting position when he saw a shadow looming over him. He turned around and saw the very person he wanted to kill so badly. His revenge was at hand.

**That was it for chapter 10, folks! Are you all wondering how it will end? Eh? Well, not to worry, because I'm planning to end this soon enough! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review if possible and as always: Have an awesome day!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Battle of the Transcendents

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 11 – Battle of the Transcendents

**The Overworld**

Steve was panting heavily. When it became clear that he couldn't block Herobrine's energy blast, he tried to get out if its way. But he severely hurt his arm in the process and it didn't look like he could use it anymore.

But Steve wasn't the only one with wounds. Right after Steve dodge the energy blast, he threw the Soul Blade like a boomerang and cut Herobrine right across the chest. The blade came back and he caught it again.

'You're strong, Steve, I'll give you that…' Herobrine said whilst getting his breathing under control. 'So far… you're the most powerful enemy I've fought… And that's saying something!' Steve frowned. 'Why talk to me like this?' he asked, 'Why not just kill me, then?'

Herobrine lowered his diamond sword. 'It's… It's because I can't!' Steve's eyes narrowed. 'Is this some kind of trick, Herobrine?' he yelled. He got ready for one final attack. Herobrine sighed. 'Oh well, it was worth a try… Let's finish this with one final attack!'

But then, another blade cut Herobrine's arm off. Herobrine roared out of anguish and turned around to see who it was. And standing in front of him… was Ghorzo. 'You've returned, my old nemesis…' Ghorzo said. Herobrine spat blood on the ground. 'I thought I took care of you last time!' he answered.

Ghorzo grinned and looked at Steve. 'Steve, I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier. I'm not what you think I am. I'm actually Herobrine's old nemesis and he's come for me personally. However, thanks to you stealing the Soul Blade from him, he had to fight you first!'

Steve's mouth fell wide open. 'So, you're telling me that I was only a pawn?' he asked. But Ghorzo shook his head. 'No, my friend, that's not the case. You came here out of your own free will to help us and I respect that from the bottom of my heart. But this is no longer your fight. Your fight is up there!' Ghorzo pointed upwards and Steve was never more afraid in his life.

He could see a large island in the sky, slowly lowering towards the Overworld. 'I'm teleporting you to the Aether, Steve!' Ghorzo yelled. 'Hang on!' White strings of energy appeared around Steve. He closed his eyes and felt really light for a second. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a burning city. And amidst the ruins, two men were fighting. One was tall, muscular and had white armor on, the other was shrouded in dark robes and he wore a hood.

**The Aether**

Death blocked Notch's strike and parried with a quick jab to the ribs. Notch caught this jab and tried to throw Death into the ground, but Death jumped up and kicked Notch in the face whilst making a backwards somersault. He landed with cat-like agility and Notch kneeled down.

Then, Death sensed another presence. He looked to his right and saw another man standing there… and he had the Soul Blade in his hands! Steve couldn't see it, but Death grinned underneath his hood. 'So… You're the one Herobrine had trouble with, eh?' he sneered. Steve pointed the Soul Blade at Death. 'I'm not afraid of you, monster!' he roared.

Notch looked at Steve. 'Kid, don't interfere with this!' he yelled. But Steve was already engaging Death. But much to Notch's surprise, Steve was actually on par with Death! Death tried to kick Steve the same way he did Notch, but Steve caught his leg and threw him into the ground. Then he started stomping Death until only a crater was left.

Steve narrowed his eyes, he knew this fight wasn't over yet. Then he felt something coming in on the left, on the side of his wounded arm. He rolled backwards, made a handstand on only his right arm and kicked upwards, hitting Death.

Death flew backwards but managed to land on his feet. But as soon as he did, Death, too, kneeled down from exhaustion.

Steve's gaze met Death's. Death felt something he never felt before at this point. And he recognized this feeling as fear. 'You're not going to beat me… What makes you think you can kill a Transcendent? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL DEATH HIMSELF?!' Death roared. And he started changing.

Steve looked at Death as he changed from a normal man's shape to a dark and hooded monster with an enormous scythe in his hands. The scythe was double-sided and ready to reap. 'Behold my true form, mortal!' Death roared. 'This time, you won't escape!'

What happened next was something only Notch could see. Steve's eyes changed color from blue to bright gold. An aura started appearing around him and his muscles were tensed to their maximum, making him appear even bigger than he already was. 'You're not going to kill anyone else, demon!' Steve roared.

His aura then went berserk, blasting off in every direction. Steve and Death charged at each other and swung their weapons… A giant explosion followed, creating a big wall of dust. Notch narrowed his eyes when the dust cleared. Both men were still standing… But Death was missing his top half. It had been completely disintegrated when Steve used an energy attack with the Soul Blade to destroy his foe. Notch grinned. 'Looks like anyone can be more powerful than me nowadays…' And then he fainted.

**The Overworld**

Herobrine laughed maniacally while holding Ghorzo's severed head in his hand. 'That crazy old fool thought he could beat me! NOBODY CAN KILL HEROBRINE!' he roared. His cackle became louder and louder until his eyes suddenly widened and his laugh abruptly ended. A small flash of light appeared as Steve landed behind him.

Herobrine looked behind him to look Steve in the eyes. As their eyes met, Herobrine immediately realised that the man behind him… was the man who conquered Death himself. He grinned and started laughing again. Louder and louder, until his laugh had nearly become a roar.

'I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart, Steve!' Herobrine yelled with a completely deranged and insane look on his face. But his eyes were greeted by Steve's cold but determined glare. 'You killed my friend, Herobrine…' he said silently. 'And now I've killed yours… AND YOU'RE NEXT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!' Steve swung the Soul Blade for one final attack…

**CLIFFHANGER! Muahahaha! Next chapter or the chapter after that will probably be the end of this story folks… Damn, can't believe I've gotten this far already! I really hope I can score some more reviews with this story, god knows I need them… Anyways, thank you for reading, please leave a review and as always, folks: have an awesome day!**


	12. Chapter 12 - He was always on the Throne

**Survival of the Fittest**

Chapter 12 – He was always on the Throne

A massive blast of energy came free as the enraged Steve lashed out at Herobrine. Herobrine blocked Steve's attack, but his eyes grew wide when he saw Steve's face. His face had only one expression on it and that was pure anger and hate. And his eyes…

Herobrine, for the first time in his long life, started feeling fear for the first time. But he, too, roared out loudly and started pushing back. And also from his blade was a massive amount of energy released.

The push continued for minutes until the village itself slowly started to fall apart. First the walls started losing stone, then the ground broke open and parts of it started floating in the air. All the while, Steve and Herobrine were still pushing each other to their limits, all the time looking the other right in the eyes.

Then, something snapped in Steve's arm. He grimaced and gave a short yell of pain before Herobrine's blade entered his shoulder and nearly severed his arm. Steve kneeled down with the blade still in his shoulder.

Herobrine was panting heavily. 'Did you… honestly think… that you could beat ME?!' he yelled. He pulled his blade out of Steve's shoulder, leaving a massive bleeding gap there. Steve tried to apply pressure to his shoulder, but in doing so, he had to drop his defense. He looked Herobrine in the eyes one last time.

'Well, what are you waiting for, then?' he said. 'Finish me off!' But Herobrine's eyes were already bursting with tears. He dropped the blade, then he fell down on his knees and started crying. Steve wasn't the only one who was completely baffled. Every Villager held their breath in suspense, waiting for what was coming next.

Herobrine's shoulders shook heavily while all his emotions poured out. 'What have I done?!' he roared out in pure anguish. When Herobrine removed his hands from his face, he saw that Steve had already stood up. But he was no longer angry.

Steve had healed himself by putting the Soul Blade against his shoulder and it looked perfectly normal again. Steve's body, however, was nearly ripped to shreds. His shirt had already been destroyed in the fight with Death, but he was now also covered in deep cuts and scratches and he was bleeding from some of them. But he didn't care.

'Why are you crying?' he simply asked. Herobrine looked Steve right in the eyes and said: 'Do you have any idea what it feels like to be alone for more than ten thousand millennia?!' he yelled. 'Nobody remembers me from back then, nobody remembers what I've done for them!' How could they possibly forget?!'

Before Steve could react, Herobrine stabbed himself through the chest repeatedly until he was basically cut in half. Herobrine coughed up a massive amount of blood and tipped over. Steve's reaction was extreme disturbance. He never saw someone kill himself before, and definitely not in this particular fashion.

Then, Herobrine uttered one last phrase: 'You have all been deceived for thousands of years… The real villain… is up there!' Herobrine pointed upwards with all he had, but then his arm lost power and fell lifeless to the ground.

As the blood slowly drained from his body and his skin became pale as snow, he suddenly started changing. And now, everyone was shouting and screaming loudly. Both out of sadness and anger, but also out of fear. The one laying there dead on the ground wasn't Herobrine. It was Notch.

**The Aether**

Vindicator and Justicar were both still alive. But they had changed completely. Their wings were no longer those of angels, but those of dragons. Their armor had turned black and a dark aura surrounded both of them.

Justicar looked at his brother with deep red eyes. Both their faces were completely covered in darkness by their helmets. 'Can you sense that, brother?' he asked. Vindicator nodded. A bright blue trail out of his eyes followed as he did. 'Aye, I do… The Creator is finally dead… The Lord has no opposition left, now!' he answered. And they both laughed.

In the palace, a dark figure was sitting in the throne of the Aether. If one had been standing there, they would only see a shadow sitting there. And the only thing they would have been able to see was two white eyes… And they were filled with victory.

**BOOM! That just happened! Bet you didn't see THAT coming, did you? It will all be explained in the later chapters, but I just got this idea of a complete plot twist, so I hope you like it! Anyways, thank you so much for reading this chapter. Please leave a review if possible and, as always, have an awesome day!**


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